Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a seat assembly for providing at least one seat of a seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft. The seat assembly includes at least one seat structure having a seat backrest forming a backrest surface and a seat cushion element forming a seat surface, and a passenger space partition, which is designed for spatially partitioning a passenger space of the seat and which at least partially surrounds the seat structure and leaves open an access to the seat structure. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, the seat arrangement includes a plurality of such seat assemblies. Finally, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a passenger cabin of an aircraft, in particular an airplane, the passenger cabin comprising such a seat assembly and/or such a seat arrangement.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are particularly directed to the construction and arrangement of comfortable seats in airplane cabins, and even more particularly with the optimization and/or maximization of the number of business class seats in airplane cabins of long range airplanes, the business class seats allowing not only sitting but also lying while at the same time meeting the certification requirements and the geometric boundary conditions. In particular, the seats are designed to provide a single seat having a flat sleeping surface in the lying or reclining position, which can be easily used by as many passengers as possible. For example, a sleeping surface should have an elongation of about 195 cm or larger in at least one dimension. Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments provide a seat that is as comfortable as possible and has a seat width of approximately 20 inches (approximately 51 cm).
In particular, direct aisle access to each individual seat should be possible; the passenger should be able to reach the seat without having to have the other passengers get up.
An arrangement of passenger seats in an airplane passenger cabin is known from the EP 1 211 176 B1, which discloses a seat assembly, a seat arrangement as well as a passenger cabin. As in the case of the present invention, EP 1 211 176 B1 is directed to providing a seat assembly, a seat arrangement as well as a passenger cabin, where it is possible to achieve optimal utilization of the cabin with a limited space availability, and where each passenger is provided with adequate space for free movement and a private area so that a high degree of comfort and contentment, in particular, during long distance flights is achieved.
The following documents also disclose seat assemblies, seat arrangements, and passenger cabins: U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,768,311 B2, 8,690,254 B2, 8,720,821 B2, US 2013/0043345 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,991 B2.
Existing seat assemblies, seat arrangements, and passenger cabins for the business class of long-range airplanes do not provide very efficient space utilization, so that fewer seats exhibiting the properties desired for the business class seats are made available on the same area.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a seat assembly, a seat arrangement, which can be formed with the seat assembly, as well as a passenger cabin, which is provided with the arrangement, and to be able to provide with the seat assembly more seats with free accessibility to each seat in less space.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide, according to a first aspect, a seat assembly for forming at least one seat of a seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, in particular, an airplane, the seat assembly comprising at least one seat structure that has a seat backrest forming a backrest surface and a seat cushion element forming a seat surface, and a passenger space partition, which is designed for spatially partitioning a passenger space of the seat and which at least partially surrounds the seat structure and leaves open an access to the seat structure, wherein the seat cushion element can be moved between a comfort position, in which the seat cushion element projects further into the access, in order to provide a larger seat surface, and an access position, in which the seat cushion element does not project as far or does not project at all into the access, in order to make a wider access possible.
Preferably the seat cushion element can be moved horizontally under the seat backrest, in order to move from the comfort position into the access position.
Preferably the seat cushion element can be designed movably in such a way to provide a seat surface having a variable depth.
Preferably the seat cushion element can be moved, when seen or projected in the horizontal direction, between the comfort position and the access position by approximately 7 cm to approximately 26 cm.
Preferably the seat structure has a foot and/or leg support element, which has a foot and/or leg rest surface and which can be moved between a position of use and an access position.
Preferably the foot and/or leg support element can be folded relative to the seat cushion element in such a way that the foot and/or leg rest surface forms an elongation of the seat surface in the position of use.
Preferably the seat backrest can be moved between an upright position and a reclining position.
Preferably, in a reclining position of the seat assembly, the backrest surface and the seat surface together form at least one portion of an essentially horizontal sleeping surface, when the seat structure has been moved into the reclining position.
Preferably, in a reclining position of the seat assembly, the seat backrest extends into a space that is occupied by the seat cushion element in the access position.
Preferably the seat structure can be moved into a reclining position, in which the backrest surface, the seat surface and a foot and/or leg rest surface, which is formed at a foot and/or leg support element, form an essentially flat or planar sleeping surface.
Preferably in the reclining position the foot and/or leg support element rests on a storage space delimitation.
Preferably the passenger space partition has a storage space with a storage space delimitation, which can be used in the reclining position, in order to support a foot and/or leg support surface.
Preferably, in the reclining position, the seat assembly provides a sleeping surface, which has a length of at least 180 cm to 210 cm, preferably approximately 195 cm, in at least one direction.
Preferably the passenger space partition has a cutout and/or a bulge, in order to make it possible to move the seat cushion element into the reclining position.
Preferably, in a plan view, the seat assembly has a tear-shaped and/or essentially parallelogram-like outer contour, preferably with a narrower foot end region and a wider rear end region, which surrounds the seat structure in the access or comfort position.
Preferably the seat assembly has an asymmetrical outer contour relative to a longitudinal center plane.
Preferably, in the plan view, the passenger space partition has a front projection at the foot end region; and this projection forms the front end of the passenger space partition and is arranged so as to be offset towards one side relative to a longitudinal center plane.
Preferably the front projection is arranged so as to be offset towards a side, having no access, relative to the longitudinal center plane.
Preferably, between the front end and the access, the passenger space partition has, when seen in the plan view, a bevel, which extends to the rear and to the side, and/or an arch-shaped shoulder that extends to the rear and to the side.
Preferably the passenger space partition has, when viewed in the plan view, a projection on the rear end region; and this projection forms the rearward end of the passenger space partition and is arranged so as to be offset towards one side relative to a longitudinal center plane.
Preferably the rearward end is arranged so as to be offset towards a side having an access.
Preferably the passenger space partition has a forward extending bevel and/or a forward extending arch-like shoulder from the rearward end towards the center and towards a side having no access.
Preferably a storage compartment or storage container for providing a storage space that can be used personally by the passenger using the seat assembly can be housed in a foot end region.
According to an additional aspect, exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, the seat arrangement comprising a plurality of seat assemblies according to one or more of the embodiments described above.
Preferably, in at least some of the seat assemblies, an access path to the access leads past a front end and/or a rearward end of a respective adjacent seat assembly and/or is defined thereby.
Preferably rows of laterally adjacent seat assemblies are arranged so as to be offset from each other in such a way that an access spacing distance, which opens out into the access of a laterally adjacent seat assembly, is formed between a front end of a seat assembly, following in a row, and a rearward end of a seat assembly, located in the row in front of the former row, for the purpose of providing one's own access path from a longitudinal aisle to the seat of the laterally adjacent seat assembly.
Preferably a space is formed between at least two seat assemblies as the storage space.
Preferably the seat assemblies of the lateral outer rows are arranged so as to be tilted with their foot end regions towards the outside.
Preferably the seat assemblies of a first and a second adjacent center row are tilted in each case towards the other of the first and the second center row.
Preferably the foot end regions of adjacent seat assemblies overlap, when seen in the plan view.
Preferably at least one rear end region of a first seat assembly projects, when seen in the plan view, into an access of a passenger space partition of an adjacent second seat assembly so as to overlap the outer contour of the same.
According to an additional aspect, exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a passenger cabin of an aircraft, the passenger cabin comprising a seat arrangement, according to one or more of the embodiments described above, and/or at least one or more of the seat assemblies, according to one or more of the embodiments described above.
According to preferred embodiments of the invention, a seat arrangement, i.e., layout, and a matching seat, i.e., the seat assembly, with a displaceable seat surface and optimized dimensions are provided. Preferably the seat surface can be moved under the backrest. The dimensions are copied preferably from a footprint.
A seat surface, which is pushed under the backrest, enables convenient access to each seat, even if the seat assemblies are very close to each other. Preferably access is provided laterally directly in front of an anchoring of a seat structure, so that in a comfort position a seat cushion element, which makes the seat surface available, can be pushed completely forward and at the same can easily block or impede the entire access or a major portion of the access.
In an access position the seat surface is adjusted to be smaller in the (horizontal) depth preferably by pushing the seat cushion element under the backrest. Preferably in the access position it is still possible to sit on a seat surface that has been reduced in depth; and it is possible to achieve easy access by means of a lateral access in a passenger space partition.
With such a seat assembly it is possible to achieve optimized utilization of the space in a passenger cabin by placing a plurality of such seat assemblies side-by-side in a row in a wide range of arrangements. Adjacent seats can also project with their front end or their rearward end partially into a lateral opening of the passenger space partition and leave open a corresponding access.
Preferably a variable seat surface is provided by means of a seat cushion element that can be displaced, in particular, in the horizontal direction. In particular, the depth of the seat is variable.
Preferably the seat surface can be pushed under the backrest for an access position. A displacement can take place, for example, by 5 inches (approximately 13 cm).
Preferably in the reclining state a seat structure provides a flat sleeping surface. A storage space on a side wall (for example, a storage space provided on a side wall of the cabin) can be housed under a portion of the sleeping surface that has been provided in the reclining position by this technique.
The sleeping surface is at least approximately 195 cm long in at least one dimension, in particular, measured at or in a diagonal.
The seat assembly, in particular, a passenger space partition of the same, has preferably an asymmetrical shape (at least when seen in the plan view) with a sloped or downwards curved foot end. The corresponding bevel or bend or curvature makes it possible to access a seat of another adjacent seat assembly, where in this case the seat is located, when seen from the aisle region, on the opposite side next to this seat assembly.
According to preferred embodiments, preferably two particularly preferred kinds of arrangements may be considered for the seat arrangement. In the case of a first seat arrangement, which is referred to hereinafter as the standard layout, a seat assembly, which is arranged closer to the side wall and which is a part of an outer row, which is to be assigned laterally to a side wall of the passenger cabin, is tilted, when seen in the plan view, with the head position away from the side edge at a first angle of, for example, 5 deg. to 10 deg., in particular, 8.2 deg., with respect to the longitudinal direction of the passenger cabin (corresponds to the direction of flight). In the reclining position the feet are aligned more towards the side wall and rest, for example, on a side wall storage space. A seat assembly, which is laterally adjacent thereto and which is a part of a lateral aisle seat row, which is arranged between the outer row and the first aisle, is arranged so as to be tilted preferably at a smaller angle in the other direction relative to the direction of flight, so that the foot region is aligned somewhat closer to the aisle, and the head position is aligned somewhat closer to the side wall. As a result, the seat structure with the head position can occupy the place that is made available by the side slope in the outside row; and the seat assemblies can be placed closer together with a high degree of comfort.
In the preferred standard layout, the center rows, which are arranged in a center region of the passenger cabin, are arranged preferably parallel in the direction of flight.
In a second preferred embodiment of the seat arrangement, which is referred to hereinafter as a herringbone layout, an angular position of the outside seat assemblies, which are arranged closer to the side wall of the passenger cabin, for example, at 20 deg. to 40 deg., in particular, 28.4 deg., is provided in such a way that the head region is arranged away from the side wall; and the foot is arranged more towards the side wall. With such an angular position the seat assemblies can be arranged closely side by side and one behind the other in the manner of a herringbone pattern and, in so doing, can occupy an optimal space. In the center region the adjacent seats are arranged in the shape of a V, so that the feet are tilted towards the center. Here overlappings of the foot regions can be provided.
The front ends and the rearward ends of the seat assemblies, which are formed preferably by means of the passenger space partition, are provided preferably with laterally offset ends having bevels, in order to enable access to the adjacent offset seat.
Preferably a variable seat surface is provided in such a way that the depth of the seat is variable. Preferably the seat surface can be pushed under the backrest. For example, a displacement in the horizontal direction by 7 inches (approximately 18 cm) is possible. A displacement range between 3 inches and 10 inches may be useful (between approximately 7.5 cm and approximately 26 cm). This displacement range can be determined according to the respective layout.
In an access position the seat surface can be pushed preferably under the backrest, in order to facilitate access to the seat. Depending on the layout, access of at least 5 inches or more is specified, just as in the economy class.
When the access position is changed to a comfort position, the seat surface is moved forward. Preferably the seat surface is then no longer under the backrest, but rather is extended completely out of the region underneath the backrest as far as in front of the backrest. Comfortable sitting at a corresponding seat depth has been made possible.
Also possible is preferably a sleeping position. In this case the backrest folds preferably rearwards and uses the space that was previously needed underneath the backrest. The seat surface is pushed forward. A leg support, which may eventually be present, folds upwards. Together with a foot element a completely flat sleeping surface is produced.
The foot element can rest on a side wall storage space and, as a result, can use the space in an ideal way. The side wall storage space does not impede the seat.
The seat, which is made available by means of the seat assembly, has an asymmetrical shape; a curvature on the back side makes access possible.
Preferably a space above the foot region and between the seats can be used, depending on the layout, as the storage space.
The complete sleeping surface has preferably a length of 195 cm in the diagonal.
Advantages of the preferred layouts are explained in the following.
The displaceable seat surface makes it possible to implement “denser” layouts with, nevertheless, direct access to each seat.
An overlapping of the seats in the region of the foot support is possible.
A cutout or a bulge can be provided in the passenger space partition, which is formed, for example, by a seat cover, in order to make it possible to move the seat surface into a sleep position.
In a preferred standard layout preferably two types of seats or seat rows are provided. The seats of seat row A are rotated in the direction of flight (approximately 5 deg. to 10 deg.), where in this case the head position is tilted away from the side wall and the foot region is tilted in the direction of the side wall storage space (if present).
The seats B are slightly rotated in the direction of A (in particular, in the opposite direction; preferably approximately 2 deg. to 5 deg.), in order to gain more space.
In airplanes with a steeper side wall the seats may not have to be rotated as much, in order to enlarge the width of an aisle.
The center seats can be slightly rotated relative to each other in the direction of flight, in order to gain more space.
In a preferred herringbone layout, the lateral seats have an angular position (for example, 28.4 deg., angular positions in the range of 20 deg. to 35 deg, are possible, depending on the layout), so that a head element is offset towards the aisle; and a foot element is tilted towards the window underneath the curved side wall. In the case of the seat arrangement, proposed in the US 2013/0043345 A1, access is possible only coming from the foot region; in the preferred embodiment of the invention the situation is different. A displacement of the seat surface enables access with orientation of the seats in the direction of the window view; this feature makes it possible to provide a larger private sphere. The passengers can sit tilted away from the aisle and can sit with their backs to the aisle.
The center seats can also be arranged with their foot region tilted towards the center and with their head region towards the aisle; this feature is not possible with the arrangement disclosed in US 2013/0043345 A1, where access must occur from the foot region. In the preferred arrangement according to the invention, a slight overlapping in the foot region is also possible.
One possible mechanical structure (other solutions are also possible) provides that a seat cushion element or more specifically a seat surface is moved by means of a rail in the side cover in the horizontal direction from the access position to the comfort position. A roller carriage can be provided. The roller carriage is moved in the horizontal direction from the comfort position to the reclining position, in order to move and support the seat surface with the leg support from the comfort position to the reclining position. An inclination of the seat surface can be adjusted by means of a vertical rail.
A leg support, which is hinged to the seat cushion element, can be swung up from below by means of hydraulic cylinders.
The mechanism can be covered, preferably completely.